Sibling Rivalry: Why Kia Says You'll Buy an EV6 Instead of a Hyundai Ioniq 5

A sibling rivalry is brewing between the Ioniq 5 and EV6.

A sibling rivalry is brewing between the EV6 and the Ioniq 5, with Kia detailing how it thinks its car will win customers over Hyundai.

The EV6 and Ioniq 5 are mechanically linked: both are designed and built by the same parent company, both run on the Hyundai Group's E-GMP EV platform, and both share key critical mechanical parts.

But there are differences between the two models, and those are what Kia says will draw buyers to the EV6.

Speaking at the pricing and specs announcement for the upcoming EV6, which included the introduction of a cheaper entry-level model known as the Air, Kia's head of product planning Roland Rivero detailed the areas he said would inspire customers to opt for the EV6. Ionic 5.

“Subjectively it looks better, both inside and out, we do have a bigger battery, which means more range, and we have the ability to load the car into the cabin, which is convenient for charging laptops and devices on the road,” he said. . .

Mr. Rivero also pointed to a localized ride program that has been rolled out for the EV6, with the brand's newest EV undergoing an admittedly Covid-influenced customization program to better equip it for Australian conditions.

“Just judging by driving on European and domestic (Korean) equipment, if you are forced to take a foreign region (setting), it seems to me that this is also a compromise,” he said.

“It's something we didn't do, we didn't compromise. We have formulated an Australian specification... and I hope you appreciate this first step that we have taken."

Graham Gambold, in charge of Kia's local driving program, oversaw the localization of each model in the Kia lineup. And while he acknowledges that the constant border closures and lockdowns have affected the EV6 program, he says the result is still an Australian-tailored car.

“The differences are quite significant,” he says. “The dynamics of the movement is quite far from both domestic and European *melody), which are extremes, and we are somewhere in the middle.

“So the ride is quite suitable for our conditions, but domestic and European tunes are not.”

The Kia EV6 will land in Australia - in strictly limited numbers, with Kia only able to provide around 500 vehicles this year, compared to thousands of people who have registered their interest - in a lineup of two trim levels and three models.

Range starts with the Air at $67,990, which also provides the best range at 528 km/s. The range then expands with GT-Line RWD ($74,990) and GT-Line AWD ($82,990), which come with more equipment and, in the case of all-wheel drive, more power but less range.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 comes in a single, well-appointed trim level.

The Ioniq 5 is offered in one class with two powertrain options: a 160kW and 350Nm ($71,900) single motor and a 225kW and 605Nm ($75,900) dual motor ($XNUMX).

Both get a 72.6kWh lithium-ion battery (compared to Kia's 77.4kWh battery) for a range of 430 to 451 km.